pilates

No Poo (Shampoo That Is)

You may or may not have heard of a new trend not to use shampoo. For those of you who have taken Pilates with me for a while or who regularly read this blog, you know that a few months ago, inspired by Joseph Pilates, I went one month without using soap. I don’t know Joseph Pilates’ opinion on shampoo, but I assume he might have agreed with the no-poo trend.

I’ve been wanting to try is, but I’m quite nervous given that I have a lot of curly hair (see my blog picture if you doubt me). I really don’t like when my hair gets the least bit oily or greasy and even though everyone says your body will find a proper balance, I find it hard to believe.

I have not yet taken the no-poo challenge, but I know people who have. My boyfriend, Matt, has not used shampoo in months. You’d never know it. His hair is nice. It’s not greasy. The first week he stopped using (as if shampoo is addictive) his hair was a little greasy, but his scalp quickly found an appropriate balance. All he does is rinse his hair every day […]

No Poo (Shampoo That Is)Maggie Downie2017-09-12T19:32:46-04:00

Office Pilates–Back Extensions

Very often, whether you stand or sit all day, by mid afternoon, if not before, your shoulders start to roll forward and you begin to slouch. It’s just your body getting tired and conforming to life in front of a computer or life looking down at things below you as you fill out paperwork or help a student at his desk.

So this week take some time to counteract that forward roll. Try some back extensions. You don’t have to get up from your desk and you can do them where ever you are standing. It won’t look odd. It will just look like you’re taking a little stretch. Here’s what to do:

Stand up or sit up nice and tall, lengthening through your ears.
Take a deep inhale to prepare.
Exhale extend your upper back backwards. Try to move from the base of your rib cage only. Your hips shouldn’t move and your neck shouldn’t do all the work. It might help to think of it like pushing your breast bone forward. Keep your neck in line with your spine the whole time. Pull your shoulder blades back […]

Office Pilates–Back ExtensionsMaggie Downie2014-08-04T18:07:05-04:00

Office Pilates: Stretch Those Hip Flexors

If you have to sit all day long, whether you notice or not, your hip flexors probably get really tight. Now and again they could probably do with a little stretch. Try this stretch to ease your hip flexors and give you a break from paperwork.

Get down on your knees (ideally on a carpeted surface). Then bring one leg up so that you are on one knee and one foot (as if you were proposing). Inch your front leg (the one with the foot on the ground) forward so that you have room to bend (from the knee) forward into that leg. Make sure you keep your front knee behind your toes when you bend forward. That will protect your knee. You should be able to tap the ball of your foot, not just the toes. If you can’t, you might want to move your foot forward more. Hold that stretch. You should feel it through the front of your back leg. And it should feel glorious (or at least pretty good). Repeat on the other side.

Office Pilates: Stretch Those Hip FlexorsMaggie Downie2014-08-04T18:07:05-04:00

New Ball Pilates

I’ve been getting lots of questions about the new ball Pilates class we are starting in Newington this week. I hope this blog will answer some of the questions:

1) Even if you’ve never done the ball, the intermediate level stays intermediate and the beginner level stays beginner, so you don’t need to start at beginner because you haven’t done it yet.

2) On the first day of class I will tell you if you have the right size ball for your body, so save your receipt in case you need to exchange the ball. There are height measurements on the ball, but they aren’t always accurate. When it is fully inflated you want to sit comfortably on it, with a 90 degree angle at your hips and knees. You do not want your hips sinking lower than your knees, but a little higher is okay.

3) You can purchase a ball almost anywhere: Walmart, Target, Marshalls (usually), TJ Max (usually), and sometimes even at a major bookstore.

4) The ball can be used like any prop. It has the potential to make some exercises harder and make others easier. […]

New Ball PilatesMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:32:47-04:00